Fort Bliss wants El Paso to better market itself

Aug. 1, 2013 - 05:58PM
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Two soldiers move out of a building during a training exercise Jan. 23 in Fort Bliss, Texas. Maj. Joe Buccino, Bliss' spokesman, said there is the idea among many members of the Army that El Paso is a boring, crime-ridden town with bad schools. He said neither of those things is true. (Juan Carlos Llorca / AP)

FORT BLISS, TEXAS — Fort Bliss officials think El Paso has an image problem that civic leaders in the West Texas city need to work harder to remedy.

The Army postís commanders are appealing for El Pasoís help in reversing a negative perception thatís preventing them from luring top military talent.

Maj. Gen. Sean MacFarland will address the perception Thursday in his State of the Military address. The Fort Bliss commander gives the annual speech to update the community on the state of the post and future plans.

Maj. Joe Buccino, a Fort Bliss spokesman, said many Army soldiers and officers believe El Paso is a boring, crime-ridden city with failing schools. He said these characterizations are untrue, but Fort Bliss wants to see the schools and the city better promote their benefits.